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TORONTO — Mike Van Ryn's wagon train has arrived in his new frontier of Toronto.
One of the Maple Leafs defenceman's final acts in moving north, after he was shipped by the Florida Panthers to Toronto in exchange for veteran Bryan McCabe last week, was to haul two of his quarter horses from South Florida to his aunt's farm north of London, Ont.
The expedition allowed him to spend a few days with his father and mentally prepare himself for a new beginning.
"I'm definitely excited about this season for so many reasons," said Van Ryn, who participated in an informal scrimmage with his new teammates for the first time yesterday.
Former Florida Panther Mike Van Ryn, shown here in this November 2007 file photo, was traded last week to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Bryan McCabe and a fourth-round draft pick. (Alan Diaz/AP file photo)
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- Florida Panthers
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Training and riding quarter horses are just two of Van Ryn's passions. He has a love for fishing, which was hatched as a youth at his family's hunting and fishing camp in beautiful Tobermory, Ont., on the northern Bruce Peninsula that overlooks Georgian Bay.
Van Ryn also plays golf at a high level, and he isn't afraid to stand up and fight for what he believes in.
That was evident eight years ago when Van Ryn wasn't afraid to clash with New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello, one of the most powerful people in the NHL.
The Devils selected the London native out of the University of Michigan in the first round (26th overall) in the 1998 NHL entry draft. But the two sides never came close to an agreement on an entry-level contract.
So rather than engage in a never-ending negotiation dance — because, unlike junior players whose rights were only retained for two years, U.S. collegians remained a club's property until two years after their college days concluded — Van Ryn and his representative, Patrick Morris, discovered a way Van Ryn could become a free agent.
The loophole was for Van Ryn to depart Michigan and play the 1999-2000 season with the Sarnia Sting of the OHL as an overage player. After several sessions of arbitration, Van Ryn was set free to sign anywhere he pleased.
That loophole has since been closed (junior teams demand an overage player has to play the previous year in junior) and is aptly named the Van Ryn Rule.
"It wasn't a matter of taking on Lou," said Van Ryn, a two-time Canadian junior team member. "It was a matter of standing up for what I believed was fair.
"I think I'm a person who likes things or situations that are fair. I have beliefs and if I see something that I need to stand up for, I will. I'm not afraid to stand up for myself. I'm actually happy the way it turned out."
As a free agent, Van Ryn narrowed his possible destinations to Toronto, the Los Angeles Kings and the St. Louis Blues. He took a recruitment phone call from Kings blueliner Rob Blake, but ultimately Van Ryn chose the Blues.
He wanted to learn his craft from Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger, and exhibited early progress. But then Van Ryn was dealt to the Panthers. His 13 goals in 2003-04 with Florida were only one fewer than Pronger and three off the league lead for defenceman.
But there were still concerns about Van Ryn's play in his own end. He answered those concerns with a plus-15 season in 2005-06, only to be beset by wrist problems.
"The wrist problems are behind me," he said. "It's partly my fault because [in 2006-07] I kept playing because I wanted to try and help us get into the playoffs."
Glancing down the Leafs' roster brings a reflective smile to Van Ryn's face. The road he has travelled in hockey has crossed paths with a handful of people in the Leafs' organization. He played with Jamal Mayers in St. Louis. In Florida, he also skated with Joe Nieuwendyk, now Toronto's special assistant to the general manager, and Niklas Hagman, who arrived in Toronto last night. Van Ryn also grew up in Western Ontario playing against Mark Bell and Boyd Devereaux.
"I feel comfortable here already," Van Ryn said.
